Corrugated cardboard boxes consist of one or more sheets of corrugated fluting paper bonded to at least one or more sheets of flat paper.
There are different categories: single-sided corrugated, single-sided or double-sided corrugated, double-sided or double-sided corrugated, and triple corrugated. Corrugated cardboard boxes have the particularity of being rigid and lend themselves easily to all or any sorts of shaping.
In terms of printing, it uses equivalent processes as custom cardboard boxes: offset on paper, screen printing, or flexography. Corrugated boxes are multi-functional and allow different uses.
Corrugated cardboard boxes are very natural and durable product
Corrugated cardboard boxes are biodegradable and contain 20% virgin fibers produced with wood from thinning and wood waste from eco-managed forests. Making corrugated cardboard boxes requires raw paper and glue. The corrugated board is formed exclusively from renewable raw materials and can be recycled as well.
Corrugated cardboard is therefore a circular product of great value from an ecological point of view. Corrugated board packaging is durable and environmentally friendly.
We at MintPrint independently purchase our raw materials for the assembly of corrugated cardboard boxes. We’ve therefore continuously extended our range of materials in recent years to make completely new corrugated board boxes and displays for you.
From raw material to corrugated cardboard boxes
Raw paper for corrugated cardboard boxes is employed as a staple for the manufacture of corrugated cardboard boxes. This paper is especially composed of recycled paper with a combination of virgin fibers and vegetable glue.
The paper is heated and moistened with steam. By the effect of pressure and warmth, it then passes between two grooved geared rollers. The flute is "ironed" into the paper. The layers of paper are then covered with vegetable glue. Finally, two strips of smooth paper are glued on all sides of the groove using pressing cylinders.
The corrugated board is then dried and digs sheets. These packaging are produced from these blanks of corrugated board. Corrugated board blanks are often printed with a process of direct printing.
What are the different types of raw papers for corrugated board boxes?
Paper is the main raw material of the MintPrint. We source raw paper and print these paper rolls for the industry. With this paper, we also produce corrugated cardboard panels and corrugated cardboard boxes.
What is the difference between kraftliner and testliner?
The kraftliner is a paper made from softwood and composed of 80% virgin fiber. Kraftliner paper is a very strong and stable corrugated raw paper.
The testliner is a recycled paper, unlike kraftliner,it is made 100% from recycled paper. Compared to the kraftliner, the testliner generally has lower quality characteristics.
For the raw papers used for our corrugated boards, we source almost exclusively from suppliers who have at least a Controlled Wood or FSC certification.®. The FSC label® (FSC® = Forest Stewardship Council®) is a certification recognized around the world. For our customers, it is a guarantee of transparency throughout the paper supply chain as well as during the various stages of manufacture.
The most decisive advances in the market today are the substitution of virgin fiber papers by-products made from recycled paper, as well as the reduction in the weight of papers.
What machines are used for converting corrugated cardboard boxes?
The transformation of corrugated board boxes are often administered on a machine with or without tools:
1- Machine guns are used to cut cardboard plates to place them within the basic format for the ultimate stage of transformation, or to form simple dividers.
2- The notches allow supplying custom packaging boxes and may generally produce online printing, notching, and assembly. Easy to work and at high speeds, they supply flexibility for the assembly of varied formats of boxes from plates within the format of the merchandise development.
3- Platinum presses allow the assembly of all sorts of special cuts or bends, but require the assembly of a selected tool for every item upstream.
4- Assembly machines, stapling, gluing, or gummed tape, allow you to fold and assemble cut plates.
The different types of corrugated board boxes
Different types of corrugated cardboard are utilized in the corrugated cardboard industry:
Double corrugated board
Single-sided corrugated board: composed of a canopy sheet and a groove
Single corrugated board: p. ex. groove B, composed of three strips of paper
Multi-layer corrugated board: p. ex. the sturdy corrugated cardboard with the quadruple flute, made from nine paper strips
There are also special needs like a corrugated board can be used for food packaging. This corrugated board is formed from 100% virgin fibers.
Corrugated cardboard types are combined consistently with different paper types, surface weight, and flute heights. The name of the corrugated board depends on the peak of the groove:
Spline F measuring between 0.6 and 0.9 mm
E-spline measuring between 1.0 and 1.8 mm
T-spline measuring 1.7 mm
Spline B measuring between 2.2 and 3.0 mm
C-groove measuring between 3.1 and 3.9 mm
Spline A measuring between 4.0 and 5.0 mm
FE spline measuring between 1.6 and 2.7 mm
EE spline measuring between 2.7 and 3.2 mm
BE spline / EB spline measuring between 3.2 and 4.8 mm
BC spline measuring between 5.3 and 6.9 mm
CAA spline measures between 11.1 and 13.9 mm
How to design corrugated board boxes?
The choice of compositions and style of a cardboard solution depends totally on the functionalities:
- Grouping - Assist in handling, collection element of several products
- Contain - Ability of the package to resist thrusts coming from inside
- Gerber (stack) - Capacity of the package to resist forces that come from above.
The issue of lift (i.e. the power of the packaged product to face up to higher loads on its own) is paramount.
- Identify - Print support
Work and in-depth analysis supported functional specifications can make it possible to scale back the fabric used, to adapt the compositions to only what's necessary, and thus to favor a design at its lowest cost.
Among the characteristics which will end in performance, each board composition has its own properties including:
ECT: Edge Crush Test, the compressive strength
CTF: Flat Crush Test Crush Resistance Flat
Burst: Resistance to ripping struggling
Perforation: resistance to ripping under the effect of a contending product.
These values, by test methods, must be measured under controlled temperature and humidity setting 23 ° C 50% RH.
Depending on the functional specifications and therefore the intrinsic properties of the chosen board compositions, the designer can define which composition will be the most suitable for designing high quality and secured cardboard boxes.
This coefficient, which varies mainly consistent with the destination (s) of the packaging, ensures a security margin which absorbs the many variations within the mechanical properties of the cardboard. These mechanical capacity losses are mainly due to:
- To climatic variations (temperatures and hygrometry)
- To the lifetime of the cardboard
- To the manufacturing process
Conclusion
Corrugated board boxes consist of one or more sheets of fluted paper glued to one or more sheets of flat paper. In this article, we have explained each and every detail you need to know for understanding the concept of corrugated board boxes.
We at Mint Print have been serving highly satisfied customers in the UK and around the world for more than 2 decades. We have been able to thrive and grow for the last 17 years only because we have ensured that we give absolutely the very best we can to our clients.
